Dessert Bread Recipe

by Carrie Wells, Ed.D.
Last night, I went to a tasting event at Whole Foods and tried a delicious Chocolate Chip Challah French Toast. I went home and had to reproduce something similar. I've been really into baking bread recently, so I made a delicious bread this morning, and I don't know what else to call it other than dessert bread. It tastes like all the goodness of bread pudding...but without all the cream/eggs (although that part is delicious, too!) In the recipe below, I added raisins & walnuts. Those were not in my original recipe, but would make an awesome addition.

Dessert Bread

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c bread flour
1 egg
2/3 c warm water
1 stick room temperature butter, cubed
1 T sugar (I used turbinado)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
2 t yeast
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/3 c walnuts, chopped
1/3 c raisins
1/4 cup honey

Directions:
1. In a larger mixer with a bread hook attachment, combine warm water and yeast. Add egg, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Continue to mix until the ingredients are well-combined. The dough will be sticky.

2. On a floured surface, need the dough briefly and place in a bowl for 30 mins to rise. Knead the dough for several minutes, and again place in the bowl for 30 minutes to rise.

3. Kneed the dough once more and add in the raisins, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Place on a greased cookie sheet to rise once more time.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the honey in a small dish in the microwave until it becomes very liquidy. After the dough has risen for a 3rd time, brush it with the honey. Place it in the oven to bake.

5. While cooking, at the 10 and 20-minute intervals, quickly brush the bread with honey. Bake the bread about 35 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown.

Eat immediately, while still warm and gooey!

            

Hydroponic Strawberry Pickin' and an Intro to ANDI

While the rest of the country experiences snow days, winter coats, and lots of hot chocolate, we get to do some strawberry picking! We went two weekends ago to a place in Coconut Creek that grows strawberries, greens, tomatoes, peppers, and other fruits, veggies, and herbs. Here are a few pictures!

 

This year, Lydia was able to help us pick some. We just had to show her which strawberries were ready to be picked...oh, and stop her from eating all of them before we paid :-) We went home and baked a chocolate cake, layered with buttercream and strawberries. It came out a bit too sweet for me, but still yummy!

Last week was my 3rd of 4 meetings for the Whole Foods Ambassador Club. This month, they launched their Health Starts Here program. The program is based on 4 pillars:

1. Eat whole, unprocessed food.

2. Eat a colorful variety of plants.

3. Eat healthy fats.

4. Eat nutrient dense food.

For me, the most interesting pillar is actually the 4th one. Basically, our bodies want to eat. We want to feel full...but why fill our bodies with foods that we can't actually use? In order to help customers to choose foods that are more nutrient-dense, they created the ANDI (aggregate nutrient density index) scoring system. There are large signs throughout the store displaying the top 10 most nutrient-dense foods in each department.

I decided that I do not eat enough leafy greens (besides just lettuce and spinach). The speaker from Whole Foods who taught us about the Health Starts Here program suggested adding one new nutrient-rich food to your diet weekly. Two weeks ago, I tried Swiss Chard. I made homemade whole wheat pasta with some bacon, onion, garlic, pecorino romano, and swiss chard. It was delicious! 

 

A few days ago, I made a kale and cannelini bean soup. Also very yummy!

I also want to add that I tried one of the most delicious cheeses EVER recently!! It's a triple cream from Cowgirl Creamery. So delicious served room temperature with some crusty bread.

So my new years resolution? Continue to enjoy, appreciate, and cook delicious, healthy food.

My Family's Breakfast

In the spirit of incorporating meat back into my diet, I want to share today's breakfast!

Whole Wheat Biscuit with Cage-Free Eggs, Raw Milk Sharp Cheddar Cheese, and Sage Pork Sausage

Here's the recipe for the Whole Wheat Biscuits - just omit the sugar. The Raw Milk Sharp Cheddar is from Organic Valley. The sausage was from the meat case at Whole Foods. The eggs are cage-free Eggland's Best. Definitely better than a McD's sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit!

And, yes, I accidentally broke my yolk right at the end...

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

A month or two ago, I completed an application at the local Whole Foods to be a Whole Foods Ambassador. I found out last week that I was chosen. The Ambassador Club is basically about 10 people who are selected to provide the managers with feedback regarding products, customer services, improvements/renovations, and any other recommendations.

When I arrived to Whole Foods Plantation, I was directed to a small store next door that is the Whole Foods Bakehouse. I had to walk up a flight of stairs to a conference room. Each participant received a reusable shopping bag, some snacks, and a $25 gift card. Cookies and fruit were on the table.

We began by doing introductions. Each person had a reason for being there... one woman had a daughter with autism, so she followed a gluten-free, casein-free diet. One woman's husband was on a sugar-free diet. One woman was vegan. There were two men who frequently shopped at Whole Foods. Here's the surprising part -- when I looked around at the 9 participants, myself included, 6 were obese (some morbidly obese). They was also minimal ethnic diversity. Now, obviously, our weight and our ethnicity were not asked about on our applications... but it definitely did not seem to be an accurate cross-section of Whole Foods customers.

Obesity really is a serious issue in this country. I think I may have written about it before, but my generation is supposed to be the first generation with a shorter life span than our parents' generation...and that is due to obesity. One woman stated that it is very important that her children eat healthy food, to the extent that she does not allow her kids to eat food with any dyes because of the hazards, but she herself does not eat that way. The "do as I say, not as I do" attitude about food just doesn't work for me. Clearly, if your child has food restrictions based on allergies or textural issues, then your child may need to eat something different than you. But how do you expect your children to be healthy eaters if you are not modeling that behavior yourself. I don't always eat healthy -- but I make a genuine effort to eat well. I eat a somewhat diverse diet. I like foods from all different cultures, I prepare hot meals, cold meals, simple dishes, complex. I introduce Lydia to everything that I prepare (sometimes I make hers less spicy, but it's the same basic flavors). So when I saw that these individuals represent a small group in terms of personal choices and ethnicity, their opinions became slightly less valuable to me.

So what did we talk about? I offered up several ideas:
1. When I go to the milk section at Whole Foods, I get very overwhelmed. I know that dr's tend to recommend almond milk nowadays and different yogurt drinks, but then there is also pasteurized milk, ultra-pasteurized milk, milk from cows that are grass fed, goat's milk, rice milk, coconut milk, etc. I suggested some information outlining the different types of milk, similar to what they do in the cheese section.

2. Speaking about the cheese section, I suggested they check all their cheeses daily, as I have found cheese that is moldy and handed it over to the person working in that section. I also suggested that they redesign the cheese section as it is somewhat scattered/disorganized.

3. I thought the signage was good, especially as it relates to upcoming events.

4. I suggested they start carrying at least one or two brands of cloth diapers. They are pretty limited in their diaper options. I am not impressed by Seventh Generation and Earth's Best.

5. Often times I want to purchase prepared foods. There is always an ingredient list posted by the prepared foods, and at the bottom of the list, it says "This item contains the following" and it lists potential allergens (e.g. soy, nuts, wheat), but it does not state whether or not it contains meat. Products such as stocks, bases, and broths are in a lot of rice dishes, soups, etc. so it would be easier if it was listed at the bottom so I don't have to read 20+ ingredients to figure that out.

6. Sometimes I want to purchase a small quantity of their baked goods, but often you have to purchase a large package (one dozen brownies, 20 cookies). I suggested they sell smaller packages, 2 brownies, 4 cookies.

Other people offered all different types of suggestions. Some were a bit out there for me, but some were valuable. It's nice to know that even chain grocery stores value their customers' opinions. I think this is a great program, and I hope they really consider our suggestions to make some improvements. It's just too bad that I feel like the sample of participants is somewhat limited. The next meeting is December 8th. I look forward to contributing more ideas and discussing issues that directly impact the variety and quality of food available to my family.

When did 'luxury' and 'convenience' become synonyms?

Since Lydia's birth, I have gone to many baby stores and attended multiple consignment sales, and I keep seeing the same thing - products for sale that we know aren't best for our children.

Last week, I attended the Lolliposh Upscale Consignment sale. I like the idea of consignment. When we follow the old "reduce, reuse, recycle" philosophy, consignment fits right in! I have no need for this anymore, so I will re-sell it to someone else at a reduced cost so that person can benefit from its use. Great idea! This sale was a good way to get some higher-end clothing at a lower price, buy the typical stroller, bouncer, pack n' play, baby gear every American woman imagines her child needs. But for the moms who are looking for something beyond just the modern basics...it was a bit disappointing. Everything was so middle-of-the-road. They had vendors there, but they were selling creams to remove baby fat or headbands for children. No organic baby food vendors (even though there's a great baby food store near me: Yummy in my Tummy) or babywearing vendors or other eco-friendly products. It was like the used version of Babies R Us. Again, great for some families who appreciate the one-stop shopping experience. But made me ask myself the question "When did 'luxury' and 'convenience' become synonyms?" which leads me to ask the ultimate question: Is this what is best for my child or is this what modern-day woman has determined to be a convenient luxury?

Consider these two ads:

The ad on the left contains a family, "splurging" on a night out together, going to their favorite burger joint. The word "let's" is a contraction - let us. "Us,"a collective unit, spending time together. The ad on the right shows a woman with perfectly coiffed hair and a new hat box. She didn't have to race home from her shopping trip because "dinner" would be on the table. She can afford to by the frozen TV dinner instead of preparing her family a real meal. These WERE the luxury items at one point in time. Now, they exist purely for convenience. They serve to allow one family member to sit in his room playing video games, eating frozen garbage, while the others are sitting on the couch, eating their low-end meat and watching whatever "reality" shows we're fed (yes, I fall victim to this sorta thing more often than I should. Not really fast food, but sitting around, eating some junk, watching reality TV).

Okay, so all these ideas are somewhat scattered. What am I trying to say? The most important thing is to be an INFORMED consumer. Don't by the Graco stroller because someone else did (again, I am a victim of this).  Don't co-sleep because you're "too lazy to train your kid." Don't breastfeed because someone told you that it's best. And don't use formula because breastfeeding requires a genuine effort. MAKE CHOICES!  I do what I do because I make informed decisions.

One other piece of information... Last month, I went to Whole Foods, and saw a package of delicious-looking brownies. However, there were like 12 in a pack. I asked the woman at the bakery if they were sold individually, but they weren't. So, I filled out a comment card asking if they could start selling them individually. I went there today, looked at the comment board, and sure enough my comment was there with feedback - now they sell individual brownies!  I love businesses like Whole Foods that are pretty wide-spread, but still make you feel like you matter as a consumer!